Jamie Lasher, chief technology officer at Redefining Business Intelligence (RBI), is considered an artistic innovative thinker, especially when it comes to examining and fully utilizing technology data in the real estate, lending and mortgage process.

Lasher, an artist with many innovative methods of expression, also received a very prestigious award from PROGRESS, an artificial intelligence (AI) data firm, and we talked about that honor at the outset of our conversation.

“The award was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. I didn’t even know that my team had nominated me for the ‘PROGRESS in Lending Thought Leader’ award until I received it. I think I won it because I tend to look at mortgage technology through the lens of my passion for art,” Lasher told Valuation Review. “When an artist looks at a canvas, they can see the plan even before the first brush stroke. They’ve seen a vision of the finished piece and all they have to do now is bring it to life. At least that’s the way I work.

“I work the same way as a mortgage technologist. We know what the system must deliver before any data is entered,” Lasher added. “The only way it can fulfill that promise is if everything is where it needs to be on the canvas. If there are blank spots where functionality should live, we know we’re going to have a problem. If we look carefully, we should know before any implementation work begins.”

Lasher said that for lenders and appraisers, the impacts of AI have barely been felt yet, but it’s easy to see where they will be added to the canvas.

She noted tools are already available that can map the home, prepare the floor plan sketch to the required specifications, and even tell what kind of appliances are in the home and their condition. She expects the profession will see more of that.

“Few of us know for sure how the GSEs have been using machine learning and AI to process the massive amount of appraisal-related data that has been pouring through their portals for years,” Lasher said. “It’s hard to say what that will be like when we finally feel the impact. Automated valuations are just a start;, it is all based on data. Customers continue to look for speed to close. The new changes the government is considering now for appraisal data will change things even more, opening the door for AI to step in and have a great impact on our process.”

Lasher firmly believes new trails can be “blazed” in terms of creativity and bold new ideas.

In so many parts of the business, she shared, many are not at liberty to blaze their own trails because investor and regular requirements keep one on the straight and narrow.

“What we can do is be prepared, have the right technologies in place, and make very certain that the tools we use deliver the results we expect,” Lasher told us. “For many lenders and appraisers, this would constitute a new trail. I believe it will set the players apart who make these decisions before someone downstream tells them what to do.”

But what, specifically, does Lasher look for when examining new technology?

“That’s a great question,” she responded. “I know CTOs who come into a new position and try to create the same tech stack they had in their old company because it’s what they know, it’s where they feel comfortable. Sometimes that serves them well, but too often it makes it more difficult for management to take the company where they want it to go.

“You need to know the big picture, what’s going to hit that canvas, before you start investing in new tools. In many cases, the first step is analyzing the system you want,” Lasher added. “This is where Business Intelligence (BI) was supposed to be a breakthrough tool. While it may be that in other industries, it has not been effective in ours. That’s the whole reason behind why we launched RBI. I want to find the tools I need to complete the painting and get them implemented as a first step to fulfilling my job as the enabler of management’s strategic plan.”

Lasher then pointed out what she learned as a consultant for a regional bank that has helped her in terms of understanding what technology tools will work, and what won’t be helpful to clients

She quipped “Oh, I don’t think we have time for that,” with some laughter.

“So much of the work with financial institutions creates the perfect training ground for a chief technology officer with the skills to engage your team,” she said. “These institutions set more ambitious goals than smaller institutions, yet they don’t have a fraction of the IT staff of their larger competitors. You must learn to do more with less. And you have less room for errors, so you have to make sure proper vetting has been done. You must always keep in mind that you’re looking for best-in-class solutions that will provide ease of use for the consumer and the lender’s staff. I enjoyed that experience very much.”

We then spent some time on Lasher’s beliefs as they relate to the potential for innovation in lending.

“If all we’re doing is taking the safe path down the centerline of the guidelines our investors and regulators have given us, we’re probably not doing enough for the borrowers we serve. That’s not being innovative,” she said. “We’ve been told that in the search for a better-cheaper-faster path we get to choose two. With the power of AI and new software architectures, I don’t believe that’s true anymore. I believe you can have all three and when you find them, you know you’re looking at a true innovation.”

We concluded our talk by asking Lasher to reveal how she believes her work and her critical thinking, when it comes to science data, can help appraisers in 2025, and beyond?

“Appraisers are in a tough spot,” Lasher admitted. “The market is demanding fast turn times, but still asking appraisers to physically inspect the properties, take photos of comparison properties, and complete complex reports. This whole process may need to change. Now, many lenders are expecting appraisers to make investments in new technologies that may or may not make them more efficient or profitable.

“Meanwhile, automated valuations and appraisal waivers for residential properties are becoming more accepted. This may be subject to the lender or type of financing, but it means that the appraiser only gets the hard jobs. They need help,” she added. “We believe the entire industry will be served better by leaning into Business Intelligence using AI to streamline the work, analyze more data faster, and increase appraiser profitability.  AI can help with that. I know because that’s part of what we built RBI to do. But it will mean that today’s appraisers must do one of the hardest things we can ask of ourselves: give up most of what you know and that has worked for you in the past and rethink your business for the future.”